Carmakers at risk of using Uighur forced labour in China, HRW says
Taipei, Taiwan – Top carmakers, including General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Tesla and BYD are at a high risk of using aluminium produced by forced labour in China’s Xinjiang province, a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) has found. China is the world’s largest car manufacturer as well as the largest producer of aluminium, which is used in tyres, windshield wipers, electric vehicle (EV) batteries and other automotive parts. As much as one-fifth of China’s aluminium is produced by smelters in Xinjiang, where human rights groups believe more than one million ethnic minority Muslims have been subjected to internment and other abuses including forced labour and forced sterilisation. HRW said in its report that carmakers are doing little to track their supply chains in China, and, in some cases, have succumbed to Chinese government pressure to apply weaker sourcing standards at their Chinese joint ventures than in their global operations. “Most companies have done too little to map their supply chains for aluminium parts and identify and address potential links to Xinjiang,” the rights group said in its 99-page report released on Thursday. “Confronted with an opaque aluminium industry and the threat of Chinese government reprisals for investigating links to Xinjiang, carmakers in many cases remain unaware of the extent of their exposure to forced labour. Consumers should as a result have little confidence that they are purchasing and driving vehicles free from links to abuses in Xinjiang.” China has been accused of carrying out an aggressive programme of forced assimilation against Uighurs and other ethnic minority Muslims for more than a decade, leading to the internment of more than a million people in what Beijing has described as “vocational training centres”. China has denied committing human rights violations in the region and insisted its programmes targeting ethnic minority Muslims have reduced radicalisation and terrorism. China has been accused of carrying out an aggressive programme of forced assimilation against Uighurs and other ethnic minority Muslims in Xinjiang [File: Thomas Peter/Reuters] In its report, HRW said “credible evidence”, including Chinese state media articles, company reports and government statements, indicates that aluminium producers in Xinjiang are participating in government-backed labour transfer programmes. While countries including the United States have banned products made in Xinjiang, materials like aluminium can be difficult to trace, the New York-based rights group said. Xinjiang aluminium often takes the form of ingots, which can be melted down with other materials to make aluminium alloy, easily concealing its provenance. Michael Dunne, CEO of Dunne Insights and an expert on China’s automotive industry, said that mapping supply chains in China can be an extremely difficult task. “Supply chains for automakers in China are somewhere on the spectrum between exceptionally byzantine and an iron-clad black box,” Dunne told Al Jazeera. “It’s like counting to infinity – you might make progress but you’ll never get there.” HRW said car manufacturers should do more to map their supply chains or put pressure on their joint partners in China to do the same. HRW said Volkswagen said in response to inquiries that the carmaker has “no transparency about the supplier relationships” with its joint-venture partners in China. HRW said General Motors, Toyota and BYD did not respond to inquiries, but General Motors noted in its annual report the difficulty of tracing their Chinese supply chain. Tesla, which does not operate with a joint venture, said it had “in several cases” mapped its supply chain back to the mining level and not found evidence of forced labour but did not specify further, according to HRW. The five carmakers did not respond to Al Jazeera’s requests for comment. Duncan Jepsen, a supply chain expert and UK-trained solicitor, said tracing supply chains is an issue of cost and will on the part of manufacturers. “For an NGO, it may be difficult to track a supply chain in China. In other places in China, for a large, well-capitalised car manufacturer with no financial resources … I think the answer is it’s expensive, maybe. But it’s not that hard,” Jepsen told Al Jazeera. “And that’s really the crux of the problem … It’s challenging and difficult and almost impossible if you want to spend nothing on it,” he added. China’s huge market also gives it leverage over carmakers. On top of being the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer, China is also the largest market for vehicle sales – with 23.5 million vehicles sold in 2022 compared with 13.6 million in the US, according to HRW. “That’s the catch-22 they’ve got is that it’s not a country that they particularly want to leave,” Jepsen said. “So if they want their market penetration, it’s going to be a big strategic decision of how auto manufacturers handle this. And it’s going to be interesting to watch.” Adblock test (Why?)
Ukraine says ‘destroyed’ Russian ship in underwater drone attack off Crimea
Military intelligence releases nighttime video showing sinking of ship it said was the missile boat Ivanovets. Ukraine has said it used sea drones to attack and destroy a Russian warship in the Black Sea near the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula. The military intelligence agency, known by its Ukrainian acronym GUR, published a video on Thursday that it said depicted a naval drone attack on the missile-armed corvette Ivanovets the night before. The grainy footage, running about 2 and a half minutes and accompanied by a dramatic soundtrack, showed a number of explosions, and the ship eventually listing to one side. It ended with the vessel sinking stern-first into the sea. “As a result of a number of direct hits to the hull, the Russian ship suffered damage incompatible with further movement,” the intelligence agency said in a statement accompanying the video, apparently made up of live feeds from the drones. #працюєГУР 🔥 «Івановєц» на дні ― внаслідок спецоперації ГУР МО знищено ракетний корабель ворога 🔗 https://t.co/b8MQb3KJrk pic.twitter.com/Tu6uuaF2rt — Defence intelligence of Ukraine (@DI_Ukraine) February 1, 2024 The GUR said the attack had been carried out by its Group 13 unit and took place while the Ivanovets was on patrol on Lake Donuzlav in western Crimea. The lake was connected to the Black Sea by a channel in 1961. There was no official response from Russia whose Black Sea Fleet has come under attack by Ukraine before, most notably with the sinking of the flagship Moskva in April 2022. On that occasion, Moscow eventually acknowledged the loss of the ship and said the Moskva sank as it was being towed to port after “detonation of ammunition” caused a fire. Ukraine said it had sunk the Soviet-era ship with a cruise missile, and the United States backed up the claim. It was not possible to verify the sinking of the Ivanovets, but Russian military bloggers reported the area had come under attack from naval drones during the night, and that the Ivanovets had been hit. Disinformation has become a key feature of the war, which marks its second anniversary on February 24, and it was not possible to independently verify the footage or claims. The private security firm Ambrey said Ukraine has used up to six sea drones, each of which usually carry 300 kilogrammes (660 pounds) of explosives, in the attack. A Western official also backed the Ukrainian account, telling the Associated Press news agency that it was “highly likely that uncrewed surface vessels were responsible for the strike on the Ivanovets”. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence. The Ukrainian navy said the loss of the Ivanovets, thought to have a crew of about 40 sailors, would be “significant” because Russia has only three ships of the same class in its Black Sea Fleet. Crimea, which was invaded and annexed by Moscow in 2014, has come under increasing attack by Ukrainian drones and missiles. On Thursday, Russia said it had destroyed 20 Ukrainian missiles over the area. Adblock test (Why?)
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee rebuffs Congress’ seat-sharing optimism, pledges to unite…
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her intention of uniting regional parties after elections to strategise government formation at the Centre.
Preview: Asian Cup 2023 quarterfinals
The Asian Cup quarterfinals pit regional giants against each other but also see underdogs take on the holders. The AFC Asian Cup has been a tournament is into the quarterfinal stage and the titans of the continent have made it relatively unscathed so far. They are all about to be pitted against each other though. Here’s our run down of the tournament’s last-eight stage, which is set to take place across Friday and Saturday: 1. Tajikistan vs Jordan: Friday, February 2 at 11:30 GMT Two underrated teams face off in the first quarterfinal. Jordan scrambled to third sport in their group after Bahrain beat them 1-0 in the final round of fixtures in the opening stage, after having overcome Malaysia in their first fixture with a resounding 4-0 win and drawing with South Korea in their second match. Jordan produced an incredible comeback, scoring twice in stoppage time to beat Iraq 3-2 in their round of 16 fixture. Tajikistan beat Thailand 2-1 in their last-16 tie, having qualified from the group stage for the first time with a second-place finish ahead of China, with whom they drew their opening match, before being beaten by Qatar, but overcoming Lebanon to secure their progress. It’s not going to be easy to pick a winner in this one. 𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑-𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐒. 𝐋𝐄𝐓’𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐎! 4️⃣4️⃣ matches done. The quest towards etching their names in history intensifies! 💪#AsianCup2023 | #HayyaAsia pic.twitter.com/gl8q3ULLJc — #AsianCup2023 (@afcasiancup) February 1, 2024 2. Australia vs South Korea: Friday, February 2 at 15:30 GMT One of the two stand-out ties of the quarterfinals pits one of the form teams against one of the favourites. Australia brushed aside their group with opening wins against India and Syria to ensure their progress before a draw with Uzbekistan in the last game. Their round-of-16 tie was another dominant display as they beat Indonesia 4-0. South Korea were tightly tucked behind Japan as second-favourites for the competition but were made to work hard to reach this stage. A second-place finish in the group pitted them against Saudi Arabia in the tie of the last round and the Koreans were second best for the most part, requiring an injury-time header from Cho Gue-sung to take the game to extra time after Abdullah Radif gave the Saudis a deserved lead just after the break. It was a titanic tussle through to penalties which the Koreans can count themselves lucky to have come out on top of. How much the exploits will have taken out of their legs remains to be seen. Will South Korea begin to peak in the tournament in this game? Ayman Hussein 🇮🇶 still at the top ⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽#AsianCup2023 #HayyaAsia pic.twitter.com/9mr6w75aRS — AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 (@Qatar2023en) January 31, 2024 3. Iran vs Japan: Saturday, February 2 at 11:30 GMT The other meeting of Asian giants in the quarterfinals is a huge battle of east and west. Iran are three-time winners of the Asian Cup, but have been more renowned for their efforts at World Cups in recent decades. Japan are the record winners with five trophies to their name and are the favourites to extend that run. A comfortable 3-1 win against Bahrain in the last 16 has set Japan up well for this match. However, they were made to sweat somewhat in the group by Iran’s neighbours Iraq, who downed the Japanese 2-1. An injury-time consolation goal was registered by Waturo Endo after Aymen Hussein scored a first-half brace. Iran’s travails have been in reverse to that of their opponents after topping a relatively straightforward group stage with a clean sweep while racking up seven goals. The Iranians were then made to work all the way to penalties by a spirited Syrian side. Iran will also be without their leading scorer, Mehdi Tarmei, who was sent off for a second yellow card in that game. Will Team Melli have enough in them to see off the Blue Samurai? #AsianCup2023 LAST 8! 🇦🇺🇹🇯🇯🇴🇶🇦🇺🇿🇰🇷🇯🇵🇮🇷#HayyaAsia pic.twitter.com/qvpqo3nnkU — AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 (@Qatar2023en) January 31, 2024 4. Qatar vs Uzbekistan: Saturday, February 3 at 15:30 GMT The hosts and defending champions are strong favourites to progress to the semifinals in this tie. After an underwhelming World Cup on home soil two years ago, Qatar have picked up where they left off in the 2019 Asian Cup final victory against Japan. Akram Afif, who scored the third goal from the spot in that match, has been irresistible at this tournament and seems to offer endless options as well as an inspirational ignition to his side’s endeavours. Captain Hassan al-Haydos has also been at the core of everything Qatar have done and he and Afif are on their own personal journey to battle for the golden boat with either one or the other scoring in every game so far including both finding the net to see off Palestine in the last round. Uzbekistan beat Thailand 2-1 in the last 16 to continue their own incredible story and are unbeaten at the competition so far having drawn their final group stage match with Australia to secure the second spot ahead of the impressive Syria and the sleeping giants, who were expected to awaken, India. Will the underdogs dethrone the holders? Adblock test (Why?)
Progressive US lawmaker Omar faces censure over mistranslated speech
Washington, DC – A new Republican firestorm has ignited around United States Congress member Ilhan Omar — this time over alleged statements she made during a speech to Somali Americans. The only problem, according to two independent analyses of the speech, is that the words that fuelled the uproar appear to be mistranslated. Omar is accused of saying in Somali that she would put foreign interests before those of the US — but multiple news outlets have since debunked the accusations, pointing to major flaws in a viral translation of her speech. That, however, did not stop firebrand Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from seizing on the speech. On Thursday, she introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives to censure Omar, who is the first Somali American and first former African refugee to serve in the US Congress. Greene accused Omar of “serving as a foreign agent for a foreign country”. In an apparently intentional gaffe, she referred to Omar as the representative from “Somali — I mean, Minnesota”. Her resolution comes one day after House Majority Whip Tom Emmer demanded an ethics investigation into Omar. Florida governor and former Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis also called for Omar to be “deported”. For her part, Omar quickly rejected the attacks, saying they were only the latest attempt by Republicans to weaponise her ethnicity and religion. In a statement to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Omar called the attacks “not only completely false, they are rooted in xenophobia and Islamophobia”. “This is a manufactured controversy based on an inaccurate translation taken entirely out of context,” she said. Critics also see the controversy as the Republican Party’s latest attempt to attack a group of progressive Democrats known as the “Squad”. In February 2023, Omar was removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a vote divided along party lines, amid accusations that she had voiced “anti-Semitic” and “anti-Israel” rhetoric. At the time, Omar said she was being targeted because of her identity as an African Muslim woman. In November, the House also voted to censure Representative Rashida Tlaib for comments critical of Israel. Tlaib has stood by her remarks, rejecting claims they were anti-Semitic. Mistranslated speech The Star Tribune — a newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota — and another publication, the Minnesota Reformer, have both independently translated Omar’s speech, which was delivered to Somali Americans in the state on January 27. Both found the words that stoked the Republican ire were not actually what Omar said. The flawed translation, which spread widely on social media, read: “The US government will only do what Somalians in the US tell them to do. They will do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders, and that is how we will safeguard the interest of Somalia … Together we will protect the interests of Somalia.” According to the more accurate translation, verified by the Star Tribune, Omar expressed a different message, one that encouraged civic engagement among Somali Americans. “My answer was the US government will do what we tell the US government to do. We as Somalis should have that confidence in ourselves. We live in this country. We pay taxes in this country. It’s a country where one of your own sits in Congress … The woman you sent to Congress is aware of you and has the same interest as you,” she said. .@RepJeffries: “This week we continue to see performative politics and political stunts from our Republican colleagues.” On @RepMTG‘s resolution to censure Rep. @Ilhan, he says it’s a “frivolous censure resolution, designed to inflame and castigate and further divide us.” pic.twitter.com/I0q229F36f — CSPAN (@cspan) February 1, 2024 According to the Star Tribune, Omar used the speech to recount how she had responded to constituents’ concerns over a new agreement between Ethiopia and the self-governing region of Somaliland, which Somalia claims as its own. The agreement would see Ethiopia lease a portion of Somaliland’s coastline, a move vehemently opposed by Somalia. Observers have noted the Congress member was also speaking in support of longstanding US policy. The US maintains some ties with Somaliland — but does not recognise its independence or its authority to unilaterally strike a deal with landlocked Ethiopia. While that position has stoked condemnation from Somaliland officials, Democrats have roundly rejected the notion that it indicates Omar is working on behalf of Somalia or that she puts her Somali roots before her congressional duties. On Thursday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned Greene’s move to censure Omar as “frivolous”. He called it “designed to inflame and castigate and further divide us”. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 709
As the war enters its 709th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Friday, February 2, 2024. Fighting Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, said two French volunteer aid workers were killed after a Russian drone attack on the town of Beryslav. Four people were injured, three of them foreigners. One person was killed and two injured in Russian shelling and rocket attacks on villages in the eastern Donetsk region, the Ukrainian presidential office said. Ukraine said four people were injured in a Russian missile attack on a medical facility in the eastern Kharkiv region, near the front line town of Kupiansk. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency GUR, said it attacked and sank the Russian corvette Ivanovets in the Black Sea using undersea drones. The private security firm Ambrey said Ukraine used up to six sea drones in the attack. There was no official word from Russia on the alleged sinking. In an opinion piece published by CNN, Ukraine’s army chief, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi called the development of unmanned weapons systems “a central driver” of the war. Zaluzhnyi also laid out key issues for Ukraine including mobilisation and arms production. Russia’s Investigative Committee, the country’s main state criminal investigation agency, said evidence from missile fragments suggested two Patriot missiles brought down the Russian Il-76 military transport plane that crashed near the border with Ukraine last month. Kyiv has neither confirmed nor denied a role in the crash. Russia’s Defence Ministry said air defences shot down 11 Ukrainian drones over the Russian regions of Belgorod, Kursk and Voronezh. Politics and diplomacy European Union leaders overcame objections from Hungary to approve a 50 billion euro ($54bn) aid package to support Ukraine over the next four years. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the approval, saying it was “critically important” for Ukraine’s stability and a “clear signal” both to Russia and the United States, where a massive assistance package remains held up in Congress. China demanded that Ukraine immediately remove some 14 Chinese companies from Kyiv’s list of firms designated as “international sponsors of war”, the Reuters news agency reported. A Russian court extended the pretrial detention of journalist Alsu Kurmasheva. The dual US-Russian citizen, who works for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was jailed in October and accused of failing to register as a “foreign agent” and spreading “false information” about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Thailand deported members of Bi-2, a dissident Russian-Belarusian rock band critical of Moscow’s war in Ukraine, to Israel after they were arrested for performing without a permit. Human rights groups warned the group would face persecution for their criticism of the war if they were sent to Russia. Latvia’s parliament voted to ban its national teams from playing any national teams of Russia and Belarus regardless of what flag they may compete under, as a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine. Weapons Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, called on the US to supply A-10 attack jets to Ukraine, arguing they would significantly strengthen Ukraine’s frontline capabilities. Adblock test (Why?)
Jharkhand Governor invites JMM MLA Champai Soren to take oath as CM today
In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance, which includes Congress and RJD, has 47 MLAs, including 29 of JMM, 17 of Congress, and 1 of RJD.
SC to hear Ex-Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s plea against his arrest by ED today
The CJI assured the lawyers that the plea will be listed for hearing on Friday.
New Hampshire House rejects further expansion, or restriction of abortion access
The Republican-led but closely divided New Hampshire House rejected three abortion bills Thursday, refusing to either further restrict or protect reproductive rights. Current state law prohibits abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy except when the mother’s health or life is in danger or there is a fatal fetal anomaly. The House voted 193-184 Thursday in favor of asking voters to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution as well. But the vote fell short of the majority needed to advance the proposal. The House also rejected a bill that would have required abortions after 15 weeks to be performed with two doctors present and in hospitals with neonatal intensive care units and a third measure that would have banned abortion after 15 days of gestation. The latter was akin to an outright ban as virtually no one knows they are pregnant at that point, and lawmakers took the extra step of voting to “indefinitely postpone” the bill, making it more difficult to revive at a later date. PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST FACING UP TO 11 YEARS IN PRISON: PEACEFUL PROTEST ‘MAKES YOU A FELON’ IN BIDEN’S DOJ The only one of three measures to be debated was the constitutional amendment to protect abortion up to 24 weeks and allow abortions beyond that when a physician believes they are necessary. It was sponsored by Rep. Amanda Toll, who spoke in support of the proposal while holding her week-old daughter. “Having my third child, a little girl, has reinvigorated my commitment to making sure that every Granite Stater, including Daniella, has the right to make their own reproductive decisions,” she said. “We need to send this to the voters and let voters decide.” Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022, voters in seven states have either protected abortion rights or defeated attempts to curtail them in statewide votes. New Hampshire does not allow citizen-led ballot initiatives, but changes can be made to the state constitution if three-fifths of the Legislature agrees to put the question to voters, who must then approve amendments by at least a two-thirds majority. “Granite Staters should not have their reproductive rights on the line every legislative session with bills seeking to ban abortion earlier and earlier in pregnancy,” said Toll, a Democrat from Keene. “Because while abortion is currently safe and legal here, we have zero state or federal protections in place for abortion rights in New Hampshire.” Opponents argued the wording of the amendment was vague and left too much to a doctor’s discretion. They also said it wasn’t needed because the current law is widely supported by the public. “There simply is no threat to abortion rights in this state, despite the never-ending political rhetoric to the contrary,” said Rep. Bob Lynn, a Republican from Windham. “And therefore, this proposed constitutional amendment is totally unnecessary.”
Top Atlantic City politico charged in absentee ballot fraud case
A former Atlantic City councilman who went to prison for bribery and a sex blackmail case is facing charges again. Craig Callaway, 64, is a sought-after political organizer and operative in and around Atlantic City, known for his ability to deliver large blocks of absentee ballots to election officials that often sway the outcome of elections. But he was arrested Thursday and charged with election fraud involving the misuse of absentee ballots — something of which his political foes had long accused him. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Callaway is charged with one count of “depriving, defrauding, and attempting to deprive and defraud the residents of the state of New Jersey of a fair and impartially conducted election process by the fraudulent procurement, casting, and tabulation of ballots.” ATLANTIC CITY CASINO SMOKING BAN ADVANCES IN NEW JERSEY LEGISLATURE “Holding free and fair elections is a bedrock principle of our democracy,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Skahill. “Today’s charges reflect our office’s commitment to hold to account those who try to undermine the electoral process.” Reached by phone, Callaway’s attorney, Megan Davies, said she was entering the courtroom and could not immediately comment Thursday. A message sent to Callaway’s phone was not immediately returned. Prosecutors said Callaway and others working at his direction paid people $30 to $50 to apply to be messengers for voters purportedly wishing to vote by mail. They went to the county clerk’s office, signed the messenger portion of the ballot applications and received ballots to be given to the voters listed on the applications. However, after receiving mail-in ballots, these purported messengers left the county clerk’s office and instead handed the ballots to Callaway or his subordinates, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Many of the mail-in ballots collected by Callaway or his subordinates were ultimately cast in the names of people who have confirmed that they did not vote in the 2022 general election – either in person or by mail, the office said. These voters also said they did not authorize Callaway, his subordinates, or anyone else, to cast ballots for them. Many of these mail-in ballots were counted in the election. Callaway previously was sentenced to 40 months in state prison for bribery while a city councilman. While waiting to report to prison for that offense, he orchestrated a sex sting against a political rival, fellow Councilman Eugene Robinson. In 2006, he rented two rooms at a motel on the edge of town. A co-defendant placed a camera hidden in a clock radio inside one of the rooms and a video recorder was set up in the adjacent room. An FBI agent said in court documents that Callaway and others paid a prostitute between $150 and $200 to lure Robinson, a Baptist minister, to the motel and perform a sex act on him, then threatened to send the tape to the media if Robinson did not resign. Instead, Robinson went to the authorities, who filed charges that led to a three-year state prison term for Callaway. Robinson, who has since died, said the sex was consensual and that money he gave the woman was to buy sodas. Callaway was released in 2010 and quickly resumed his operation collecting and delivering absentee ballots. While campaigns of losing candidates had long accused him of wrongdoing, Callaway was not charged until Thursday. The election fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.